(Toronto) The Montreal Alouettes will begin the defense of their title on June 6, 2024 against the Blue Bombers in Winnipeg, in a rematch of the last Gray Cup game.
This was announced by the Canadian Football League on Thursday when it unveiled the 2024 calendar for the nine teams on the Ambrosie circuit.
The Birds defeated the Blue Bombers 28-24 in the CFL championship game in November at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton.
Head coach Jason Maas’ squad will then face the Elks in Edmonton on June 14, before reconnecting with their fans at Percival-Molson Stadium on June 20. It is also during this meeting, against the Ottawa Rouge et Noir, that the Montreal club will raise its banner as Gray Cup champions in 2023.
Then, on July 11, the Alouettes will host their arch-rivals, the Toronto Argonauts, who finished the season with a 16-2 regular season record — that was before the Montrealers beat them 38-17 in the final of ballast.
The Alouettes will once again host the traditional Thanksgiving game (October 14), once again welcoming the Rouge et Noir. At home, the Montreal team will play three matches on Thursday and Saturday, one on Monday, Friday and Sunday. The team’s first preseason game will be on May 25, when the Toronto Argonauts are in town.
Furthermore, the British Columbia Lions will host the Rouge et Noir in the Touché Pacifique game in Victoria on August 31.
The traditional Canadian Football Hall of Fame game will take place on September 14, when the Hamilton Tiger-Cats host the Rouge et Noir at Tim Hortons Field. The 2024 vintage which will be inducted into the museum and the Hall of Fame will be honored at halftime.
The 2024 calendar will be balanced; that is, each team will visit each of the other eight markets in the league at least once. During the summer period, matches will be presented on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
In the fall, duels will take place on Fridays and Saturdays (except Labor Day and Thanksgiving). And when the playoffs begin, then the semi-finals and sectional finals will again take place on Saturday.
The Gray Cup game will be presented on November 17 at B. C. Place in Vancouver.